Now that the Netherlands is reopening and the ‘old normal’ beckons, the return of the daily rush hour is also lurking. However, insights during the corona crisis must prevent us from reverting to old customs and problems. That is why the Mobility Alliance is now appealing to employers and the government.
A total of 26 organizations have united in the Mobility Alliance, including the NS, GVB, ANWB and Bovag. The alliance is concerned about what will happen on the road when the Netherlands returns to ‘normal’ again. The organizations argue therefore for spreading opening hours of, for example, schools and other institutions. Companies must also continue to make it possible to work from home. If staff do have to come to work, the alliance would like to see working hours flexible so that not everyone has to go to work at the same time.
“Passenger transport is growing again and freight transport has even increased in the past year. In order to give the Dutch people their freedom of movement again, we must prevent ourselves from getting stuck again and standing still together again”, according to the transport organizations. “Spreading travel times, opening hours and working hours offers Dutch society major advantages. We therefore invite politicians, educational boards, employers and employees to take steps in the short term.”
Before the outbreak of the corona crisis, there was a significant increase in traffic jams. ANWB reported an increase of 17 percent in 2019 compared to the previous year. This while in 2018 there was also an increase of 20 percent.